Invasion of the Riceballs
by kagomenoodle
Summary: Why are there riceballs appearing everywhere? Is Momiji's statement that Shigure's house is haunted true! LIVING LIFEFORMS OF RICEBALLS? Tohru's going to find out......before you read this, please note that it is rated PG.
1. Tohru's tripping incident

**Invasion of the Riceballs**

**Chapter ONE**

"Good morning Shigure!" Tohru said as she washed the dishes. Shigure smiled and then picked up the newspaper. He started reading. "Is Yuki and Kyo still asleep?" Tohru asked him politely. Shigure looked at her, and answered, "Oh, that. They went to go pick up Momiji so he can come over. I hope they don't go through too much trouble." He answered. Tohru felt bad, making Yuki and Kyo go through all that trouble. She was excited that Momiji would come over though, so she started making lunch shortly afterwards. _What should I make for them?_ Tohru thought.

About 30 minutes later, Tohru finished baking a fresh, strawberry cake. She also made teriyaki, soba noodles, tempura, sushi and riceballs to go with the lunch. She smiled just looking at her food. _I hope Yuki and Kyo like it_, she thought. "They should be coming any minute...I wouldn't want their food to get cold." Shigure said, still staring at the current events in the newspaper.

"I'm home," Yuki said. They have came about 20 minutes later. Kyo looked tired and annoyed. "Welcome back! Where's Momiji?" Tohru asked as she looked out the doorway. Yuki and Kyo sighed. Suddenly, in the corner of Tohru's eye, Momiji jumped and hugged Tohru. "KYA!" Tohru screamed. "HI TOHRU!" Momiji screamed as he transformed into a rabbit. He snuggled her and Tohru giggled. "I'm starving! What's for lunch?!" He yelled across the room as he stomped to the kitchen. Yuki followed, but in a more, quiet pace.

Momiji transformed back and put on his clothes. He ran into the kitchen, and couldn't wait for lunch. He jumped on the counter and yelled, "Ooh! Cake! Strawberry cake!" Kyo glared at him, and told Tohru, " Maybe you shouldn't give him that...he'll become hyper and annoying." Tohru looked confused. _What should I do? Do I listen to Kyo!? I worry too much!_ Kyo looked at her face, and saw the swirly things in her eyes. "OH forget it. Let's just eat."

Everyone ate, and it was quiet...except the exception of Momiji's comments. "Hey this tastes great! YUM! How did you make this! I've never tasted such food! This is better than Shigures' cooking!" Shigure winced, but continued eating anyway. "Oh it's nothing, really." Tohru said, trying not to brag. Yuki smiled at her and Kyo kept on eating. He was turning red. "YUM! OH THIS IS GREAT!" Momiji yelled. That was when Kyo burst...we'll just skip that part...

After Kyo exploded and when everyone ate lunch, the only things that nobody ate were the riceballs. Not even Kyo ate them. "What? That's strange...I thought Kyo would like them." Tohru said. Then she got a thought in her head. _Oh no! What if he thought I made a leek riceball?! I should've told him! Now he's eating his dessert! Oh no!_

Tohru settled down and sliced the cake for Momiji, Yuki, Kyo and Shigure. She ate a piece herself, and enjoyed it. "Miss Honda, this is fantastic." Yuki said. Kyo looked at her and nodded, but blushed in the process. And Momiji...he started yelling again. "It's too bad Saki and Arisa couldn't come. They wouldn't want to miss this cake." Shigure said. That cheered Tohru up and yet made her feel bad. _They'll love the cake! Why couldn't I invite them? What a waste._

Later that night, Momiji decided to sleep over. He wanted to sleep with Tohru. Kyo got a little annoyed with the fact of it. "Kyo's jealous! KYO'S JEALOUS!" Momiji said, giggling and hopping around. Kyo turned red, but controlled his temper. He stomped off and went downstairs. Yuki walked upstairs. "Miss Honda? Why was Kyo in such a bad mood? He spilled the water I was going to give to Momiji." Tohru looked at Momiji. The moment Momiji will open his mouth, Tohru will cover it. "Kyo wants to-" Momiji started, but Tohru covered his mouth. But something happened-Tohru fell on the ground. "KYA!" Tohru said as she fell on the ground. Momiji, ready to blabber, looked at Yuki.

Momiji grinned. "As I was saying, KYO-"

"Miss Honda! Are you okay?" Yuki said, rushing off to pick her up.

"I'm fine..." She replied. Momiji had enough of this whatsoever-interrupting and stopped. He walked to Tohru's room and fell asleep on the bed.

It was late. Tohru fell asleep, but thought: _Why did I fall? Something pulled me. I'm scared... _Tohru didn't know who or what is was that pulled her. Maybe it was because she lost her balance? Maybe she got dizzy? Tohru thought too much and fell asleep next to Momiji.

"GOOD MORNING!" Momiji yelled across the hallway. Tohru had just woken up. Yuki, Kyo, and Shigure were awakening from Momiji's loud scream. Tohru went to the bathroom, washed her face, and rushed to the kitchen to make breakfast. She decided to make omelettes. Something tapped her on the shoulder.

"Yes Momiji?" Tohru said, turning around. Momiji jumped off the stairs. "What? Tohru, I didn't call you." He said, confused. "Then...who tapped me on the shoulder?!" Tohru asked herself. Momiji started to think with her. Maybe it was Yuki? Kyo? Shigure? "Oh I know! Shigure's house is probably haunted!" Momiji said. Tohru looked at him in shock, and dropped the frying pan on the ground. She put her hands on her cheeks and yelled, "Haunted!?" Tohru started to freak out.


	2. What is that in the hallway?

**Invasion of the Riceballs**

**Chapter TWO**

"Miss Honda! What's wrong!?" Yuki yelled, running downstairs. "What happened?" Tohru sat on a chair trembling with fear, and she was getting dizzy at the same time. "H-haun...h-haunte-haunt..." Tohru kept on chanting. Yuki couldn't make out what she was saying. "I'm sorry...what are you trying to say?" Yuki asked as polite as he can ever ask. Kyo walked downstairs shortly as if he didn't even hear Tohru scream. Shigure asked what was going on, and Yuki had told her everything.

"Where'd that annoying brat go?" Kyo asked. _That's right!_ Tohru thought. _Where DID Momiji go!? _"Miss Honda, are you feeling okay? Can you tell me what happened?" Yuki asked her in a soft voice. Tohru tried to speak as clearly as she could. "That one night...when I fell over, I don't know why. I didn't trip on anything because there was nothing there! I felt like something pulled me. And then, just now, Momiji said..." She started. Shigure looked confused. Kyo wasn't listening as he ate his breakfast. "Momiji said...what?" Yuki asked. Tohru tried to speak, but nothing came out of her mouth.

"Momiji said...THAT SHIGURE'S HOUSE IS HAUNTED!" She burst. Everyone stared, including Momiji who had just popped up. Tohru felt sweat rolling down her neck. "Uh, oh I'm sorry! I didn't mean to yell! It's just that I was scared, and I couldn't help myself, and, AND-" In a sudden moment Momiji covered her mouth. "It's okay Tohru. I was just guessing." Kyo stomped in front of Momiji. "EXACTLY WHAT DID YOU JUST TELL HER?!" He yelled. He bopped Momiji's head so hard it seemed like a punch. "Uh...t-there's no need f-for t-that..." Tohru said, trying to stop them. Yuki just ate his breakfast. "On day you will realize that it isn't merely noise. Their blabbering actually makes sense." Shigure said. Then sighed. Just as Kyo was about to explode in front of him, he locked himself in a room for safety. "Waaah...Kyo's hitting me! Waaah...WAAAH!" Momiji cried in complaint.

Later on that evening, Tohru had calmed down. She knew that Shigure's house wasn't really haunted, but she wasn't a hundred percent sure. _Why would Momiji say that? I wonder if it's true...considering there is a curse going on_, Tohru thought. Suddenly she caught a glance of something moving in the corner of her eye in the hallway. "What the...how did this get here?" She asked herself. She was holding a riceball, which she had found just sitting there, in the middle of the hallway. "I didn't make any riceballs today...maybe they were from yesterday. Or maybe Kyo made some." After looking at the riceball, she went downstairs and put it in a plastic container. "There. That should be a good place to put you."

Tohru went back to her room, reading Momiji a book. They have been there for about 20 minutes until the story finally ended. Momiji started to get bored and started singing.

"_Who's in the forest strolling?"_

"_The birds and the bees say Momiji.."_

"_The frogs in the pond are calling..."_

"_Momiji, yes, it's true." _

Tohru clapped after Momiji's excellent singing. She had loved that song for a long time now. "I can still remember where I first sung and heard that." As Momiji stood up and got out of the bed, he pointed to the hallway and said, "Tohru, I think that's yours." Tohru looked at him first, then the item Momiji was pointing at. "What the?" It was the riceball! It was back in the hallway, same spot and same appearance. Tohru held it again. "But...I just put it back in its' container! It couldn't possibly-" She started. "MOVE BY ITSELF?" A voice said behind her back. "K-kyo! Hello!" Kyo looked at Tohru in a strange way. "What happened this time? Was it Momiji's fault?" He asked in an annoying way. "Why is it always me?!" Momiji exclaimed. He already knew the answer: 'You're an annoyance, that's why.'

"Kyo...do you really think Shigure's house is haunted?" Tohru asked nervously. Kyo's eyes turned wide. "Why would you think THAT?" Tohru looked at her feet. "Never mind..." She replied. "Suit yourself!" Kyo said as he walked downstairs. This didn't surprise Tohru as much, but later she found a plum-filled riceball on her bed. "Strange...I wonder if these really are Kyo's riceballs. He's really good at making them, then." Tohru sighed, and fell asleep. She dreamt.


	3. Riceball appearances

**Invasion of the Riceballs**

**Chapter THREE (short chapter)**

For the whole morning the next day, riceballs started to appear all over the house. Nobody claimed that they even put a finger on them. First there was one in the hallway and Tohru's room, and then suddenly they were on the yard! Tohru kept on getting ideas that, maybe Shigure's house really is haunted after all. She started to get scared every single time she saw a riceball. The most unusual place she found them was when they were floating in the bath, as if they were swimming!

"I wonder what it is with the riceballs," Yuki said frantically. "Miss Honda doesn't have anything to do with them." Kyo smirked as he looked at Yuki. "We might as well call this event 'Invasion of the Riceballs'." Then he laughed. Shigure read his paper, and flung away the riceball he found on his paper. "These are starting to get really annoying." He mumbled to himself. "I feel sorry for Tohru, she's worrying about it too much." "Shigure, don't get a swelled head." Yuki said.

When Momiji had left to go back with Hatori, Tohru sat down. As soon as she sat, she heard a squish on the chair. "Did I just...OH MY GOD!" She yelled and yelled and couldn't stop screaming. She squished 2 riceballs! Her clothes were sticky. She was going to change shortly.

After changing, she was on her way to the laundry. As she was about to turn her head around, she detected slight movement beside her. There stood 4 riceballs, on the same spot where she had sat earlier. "What the!?" She exclaimed very loudly. "How did you get there?! I'm starting to get scared!" Yuki came shortly and asked 'Miss Honda' what was going on. "Those riceballs...moved. And I just squished two of them, too!" She said, knowing Yuki wasn't going to believe her. "I believe you..." He said. "You...DO!?" "It's only reasonable to. When I was taking a nap, I woke up and a riceball was right in my face. It scared me so much, I turned into a rat."

Strange riceball-related things happened that day. Shigure found riceballs in his drawer (on his underwear). Kyo found them when he was eating the cake leftovers-there was a riceball in it. "How did this thing get here?!" He yelled. He was now using riceballs for training. Punching, whacking, and smashing them. Yuki ignored them when he had found them floating in the toilet. "How'd they get here?!"


	4. The Riceball CLAN! DUN DUN DUN!

**Invasion of the Riceballs**

**Chapter FOUR**

"Things really are getting stranger and stranger." Tohru said. "If this riceball invasion doesn't end, I don't think I'll make another one. Ever..." She said sadly. She was still trying to solve the mystery of the riceballs appearing in strange places, and yet no one had confessed that they had put them there. Tohru was washing the dishes, thinking.

Shigure and Kyo were out of the house going grocery shopping, and Yuki was fixing his room. He had reported to Tohru that he had found 38 riceballs in his room. Tohru was starting to get scared, but she forgot the myth Momiji had told her.

"_Shigure's house is haunted_."

"Uh...Yuki? You there?" She called out. Yuki walked downstairs. "Yes Miss Honda? Do you need help with something?" Tohru looked at her feet again. "Could you help me find out what is going on with the riceballs? I swear I don't have anything to do with it. I just need help."

"I'll be glad to help you. I've been waiting for someone to complain about it..."

"Thank you so much Yuki! You really are a nice person, one of the nicest that will ever come to my life."

And with that comment, Yuki blushed and transformed. "AGH! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to..." Tohru said. "Er, it's okay..."

For the rest of the day, Tohru and Yuki searched the house where riceballs DIDN'T appear, but that seemed to be nowhere. They could see a riceball everywhere they went. "If Kyo makes me angry, I'm going to make him eat all of these." Yuki said, but he was just joking. Tohru didn't feel too good about that, not knowing it was just a joke.

Yuki caught something when he put his hand in a large vase. "Ah! I found it! Their hideout..." Tohru gazed at him. "What? AHHH! OH MY GOD!" She yelled. Inside the vase were about 50 riceballs, and they were moving, and talking! Tohru freaked out. "They're alive!? All this time they were ALIVE!?" She yelled. Before Tohru could look at the vase again, a riceball jumped on her. "What the?" Yuki asked, and it was kind of funny looking at the moving riceball.

"Yes, YOU! You have been feeding my friends to that dude with the orange hair! When he gets home, I'm gonna destroy him!" The little riceball squeaked. _He's gonna destroy Kyo! _Tohru thought. Yuki started to dig through the vase. There were many yells coming from the riceballs. When Yuki stuck his hand in there, the riceballs said...

"AHH! INTRUDER!"

"THERE'S A HUMAN HAND IN HERE!"

"OH LORDY, LORDY!"

"MY LEG! YOU GRABBED MY LEG!"

"DON'T WORRY! THE SACRED RICEBALL WILL PROTECT US!"

"JOHNNY?! HE JOHNNY, WHERE'D YOU GO!?"

Yuki looked in amazement. "Sorry Johnny!" He said as he let Johnny scamper.

Tohru looked at the little riceball. "So you're saying, I'm the mother of all of you riceballs?" The riceball looked at her. "Some of us were made from you, but the mother riceballs had babies." Tohru and Yuki looked at him in disgust. "THEY CAN HAVE BABIES!?!?! OH MY GOD." Tohru yelled, as she finally fainted, squishing Johnny. Johnny's mom than slapped her, but it felt like a poke.


	5. Johnny! WOO HOO!

**Invasion of the Riceballs**

**Chapter FIVE**

ï**JOHNNY'S FIRST MAIN ACT!ï**

When Tohru had finally awakened, she searched for the little riceball. He was- IT was gone. "Yuki...what happened?" She asked. But the problem was, Yuki wasn't there either. The house was silent, and when Tohru walked around, there wasn't a riceball in sight! Where was Yuki? Where were Kyo and Shigure? They were at the grocery. Where was Johnny? He had been squished.

"Might as well go look for everyone else," Tohru said aw she walked outside. Suddenly there was a faint, "LET GO OF ME!" in the distance. "Kyo-kun?! Is that you?!" She yelled. There was no answer. "Oh no! This story is starting to get scary! It's supposed to be funny!" Tohru said.

"SHHH! DON'T SPOIL THE STORY!" said the narrator. And then he shutted up.

Tohru ran around the outside areas of Shigure's house. She heard Kyo's voice from the forest. But should she go there? Alone? With no one beside her? Tohru couldn't lose her friends, so she walked forward. "Kyo? Yuki? Shigure?" She repeated, as she had gotten deeper into the forest. Tohru was starting to get scared, and that caused her to tremble. _I hope I get out of this quickly_, Tohru thought.

About 7 minutes later, she found a trace of a riceball. There were 8 pieces of rice grain on the floor, all bunched up. Not too far ahead, she saw another pile. Then another. Then another.

The piles lead her to the riceballs. They were all walking towards the city, with angry, stern faces. Tohru hid behind a tree so the riceballs won't be able to see her. But something poked her ankle. Tohru spine chilled, but when she looked down, it was only Johnny. "Wait, JOHNNY?! OH NO, he's gonna tell the riceballs where I'm hiding!" Tohru said, gasping. Johnny shook his head. "I don't want to be with them. I'll help you look for your friend." Johnny said, looking at Tohru with his round, innocent eyes. It was those bubbly eyes, you know? So Tohru couldn't resist but trust him.

"Johnny, why don't you want to be with the rest of your brothers and sisters?" Tohru asked as they walked through the forest together. Johnny looked at the ground. "I didn't fit with the rest of them...I was the only one filled with salmon." He replied in a sad way. Tohru looked at him. _He's sad because he's made with salmon. I feel so sorry for him, _Tohru thought.

Tohru. Just be yourself. Her mother said in her heart.

"Hey Johnny, where's Yuki, Kyo and Shigure?" Tohru asked, trying to cheer him up. Johnny cheered up a little, and said, "I don't know where they are. If we follow my brothers and sisters, we'll find them." Tohru thought for a moment. "So that means, Yuki, Kyo and Shigure are in the city?" She asked. Johnny shook his head yet again. "They are being carried by a lot of my brothers and sisters. They multiply very quickly. If we run, we'll catch up with them." Tohru picked up Johnny. "Let's go!" She said as she ran. Johnny grasped to her palm, and he blushed.

Tohru had heard Kyo's screams several times. At first they seemed distant, but they got closer and closer. "KYO!" Tohru yelled. "K..ky.." Johnny started. Tohru smiled at him. "Kyo." She said gently. Johnny looked at his feet and blushed. "K...ky..kyo." Johnny said. Tohru smiled at him again. Johnny felt proud of himself.

The three men were on top of the swarm, and they were moving since there were so many. Kyo heard Tohru's scream. "Get these things off of me!" He yelled. Yuki and Shigure didn't say anything, they just sighed. The little riceball, the one that spoke to Tohru earlier, was stomping on Kyo. Kyo smirked. "Heh, you think that hurts? Wait until you feel this." Kyo flicked the riceball away. It was painful, since the riceball was so tiny. The riceball sped back to Kyo, with full rage. He poked his eye. "OW, IT BURNS!" Yuki looked at him in disgust. "There's always a consequence in everything Kyo does," He said. Shigure was sleeping. "YOU'RE ACTUALLY ENJOYING THIS?!" Kyo yelled. Shigure swooned. "I can feel the lady riceballs massaging my back..." He said. "You're such a pervert," Yuki said.


	6. To the city

**Invasion of the Riceballs**

**Chapter SIX**

"Yuki! There you are!" Tohru yelled as she ran, almost squishing the riceballs. "Miss Honda?" Yuki said. After Kyo and Shigure got out of the flowing riceball crowd, Tohru introduced Johnny.

"This...is the only riceball that can help us." Tohru said as she held out Johnny on her palm. Johnny was closing his eyes, because he was felling his shyness. "It's the riceball I apologized to earlier." Yuki remembered. Kyo looked at him in a funny way. "Pffft, you? Apologize to a clump of rice?!" Then he laughed. His laughing didn't last too long, when Yuki finally punched him and sent him flying.

"So Tohru, does Johnny know where the riceballs are going?" Shigure asked. "He seems to be a little shy." Tohru felt worried that Johnny wouldn't even speak. "Johnny? Can you please tell Shigure where they are going?" Tohru asked politely. There was silence. Johnny wouldn't speak, he was extremely shy. He only opens up to Tohru. "Oh, I remember now," Tohru said. "The riceballs are heading to the city." She finished. "They're WHAAAAAT?!" Kyo yelled. "So by the time we get there, there's gonna be people floating around on heaps of rice?!" Kyo yelled. "AND WHY DOES IT HAVE TO BE RICE!?" HE yelled as he kicked a tree, but he just got himself all irritated. "Kyo...why must you always yell? WE'RE RIGHT HERE!" Shigure said.

"Come on, if we hurry, maybe we can convince the riceballs to stop. It will help everyone else in the city." Tohru said as she ran as fast as she could. She was heading towards the city. "She thinks she can stop a thousand riceballs? Yeah right." Kyo said. Yuki looked at Kyo in a serious way. "Tohru...isn't the kind of person..." He started. Kyo looked at him. "Kind of person what?"

"_To see a glass half empty." _Yuki finished. "Enough with all of this mushy crap, let's go catch up." Kyo said, stomping away. Yuki and Shigure slowly followed him, and there was complete silence.

_Tohru. You should be yourself. _Kyoko said. Tohru remembered, and followed her mother's order. "I'll do it, for you Mom." She said.

"Are we there yet?" Kyo frowned. Shigure looked at him. "To tell you the truth, I haven't seen Tohru or a single trace of the riceballs." Kyo burst. "SO WE LOST THEM!?" He yelled. "Calm down, you stupid cat. Miss Honda is just up ahead." Yuki said impatiently. "Come on Shigure."

"YUKI! KYO! SHIGURE!" A voice rang out. It was Tohru's voice. Yuki, Kyo and Shigure ran to the top of the hill. The sunlight was in their eyes, but Tohru was on top. "Man, I hate this riceball thing!" Kyo's voice rang obstinately. "Will stop complaining?" Shigure demanded, as he started to get dead serious. They reached the top of the hill, and a frown formed it self on Tohru's face as she looked down. She gasped, and the men's' eyes stared in wonder.

The city wasn't the city no longer. Everything looked different. The trees, the grass, the buildings, and even the air was different. Ahead of them, was the city-covered in riceballs and running people. "We were too late." Tohru said and sighed. "But we still need to take a shot at it." She said.

"_Tohru isn't the kind of person..._

_To see a glass half empty."_

Yuki had said it.

Remembering, Kyo followed Tohru. Yuki and Shigure came shortly. _I don't know why I actually believe that rat..._Kyo thought. Ignoring the thought, he kept on looking around.

"How are we supposed to stop them?" Tohru said, looking at Johnny. "Oh no!" She rang. Yuki looked over his shoulder. "Miss Honda? What's wrong?" He said as he ran towards her. "Johnny is gone." She said, looking at her empty palm. There wasn't a single grain of rice. Not even salmon.

Kyo kept on going forward. He looked ahead, and his eyes widened. "RUN! EVERYONE!" He yelled as he ran back on to the top of the hill. "Kyo, you look like a maniac when you do that." Yuki said. Tohru screamed. "Kyo's right! We better run! Now!" Shigure nudged Yuki's elbow. "Why do we need to run?" He asked. Yuki walked forward and looked. Riceballs were running towards them! They were angry and rapid. Yuki started running, and so did Shigure, panicking.

As soon as Yuki, Tohru and Shigure got on to the top of the hill with Kyo, they looked down. The riceballs were going up the hill. They ran and ran until their hearts could beat no longer. Tohru got dizzy and tired. Not knowing her condition, Yuki, Kyo and Shigure kept on running forward.

She looked into the sky, and fainted. Her weak condition made it impossible to wake up.

Yuki then remembered. "MISS HONDA!" He yelled as he started running back. Before he could reach her, a large group of riceballs formed a barrier. "Get out of my way, you stupid riceballs!" He yelled, kicking them away. It was no use—other riceballs just replaced the ones who fell.

At this point, Tohru was trapped—but didn't know it.

_Tohru, be yourself._


	7. Kyoko and Endless Fantasy

**Invasion of the Riceballs**

**Chapter SEVEN**

(Just read...if you don't get it, don't worry, you will very, very soon. )

"Tohru...Tohru..." A voice said. Tohru opened her closed eyes. She looked at her empty palm, yes, Johnny was still missing. But where were Yuki, Kyo and Shigure? And where was she?

She seemed to be in the same place. But everything looked like spring. There were butterflies, rabbits, and the breeze was much cooler. This couldn't be the forest. It wasn't dark.

Tohru stood up and looked around as a bird landed on her shoulder. Was this real, or was it just endless fantasy? As Tohru walked around, she saw a woman in the distance. She had short blonde hair, and a never-ending smile. She looked at Tohru over her shoulder. It was Kyoko. "Mom?!" Tohru shouted. A tear rolled down her cheek. A grin formed on her face. Tohru ran and ran, her arms stretching, ready to embrace her. "It's you, it's really you!" She said as her tears flew behind her and onto the grass. She finally got to her, and hugged her.

She sobbed and sobbed. Her tears sank into her mother's clothes. Kyoko put her arms around Tohru and cried. It was a heart-warming moment. It was real. Her sadness miraculously drifted away like a feather. Her endless embrace rose her spirit to the heavens. All her thoughts and worries drifted away. This was real. It had to be!

"I missed you Mom," Tohru said softly, still embracing her. Then she noticed. It was her _mom. _"But, how did you?" She asked. Kyoko let go of Tohru, looked at her, and smiled. "What do you mean?" She asked. Tohru smiled back. "Never mind." She said, as she sat down with her. "Mom, are we still in the forest?" Tohru asked. Kyoko nodded. "This is the forest, Tohru. Can't you tell? The nature within, the spring breeze." She replied. Kyoko was still wearing her never-ending smile.

Later on that day, Tohru and Kyoko were sitting on top of a large hill, watching the sunset. Tohru found it fascinating and emerging with beauty. "It's wonderful. I wish I had a camera." She said. Kyoko agreed. "It looks like a soft fire." She said. Tohru, still looking at the sunset, grinned_. I can't believe it_, she thought. _I'm actually here with my mom! She's back! Back to live with me._

Was it real, or was it just endless fantasy?

When the sun had set, Tohru sat down in place. She wasn't _just _sitting. She was sitting—with her Mom.


End file.
